There aren't many American monarchies, but one was founded in 1860 by the Mapuche people living in the southern portion of what is today Chile and Argentina.

Since its founding, the Kingdom of Araucania and Patagonia has represented the desire of the Mapuche people for their natural sovereignty and right of self-determination.

On March 24, 2018, the Regency Council of the Kingdom -- composed of Councilors from the Council of the Kingdom and the Council of State -- met in Paris, France, at the Cercle National des Armees, to elect a new Prince, as the previous Prince, Antoine IV, had died unexpectedly on December 16, 2017.

The Regency Council, in conformity with the constitution of the kingdom, elected Frederic Luz as the new Head of the Royal House. He will use the title Prince Frederic I of Araucania.

He was born in 1964, is married, and has two children. He is a heraldist by profession and prior to his election as Prince, served his predecessor as Judge of Arms for the Royal House.

Here is a picture of the new Prince on the evening of his inauguration. In this photo, from left to right, Mrs. Annie Luz, wife of the Prince; Prince Frederic I of Araucania, Miss Mia Morrison, and Daniel Morrison.

Originally Posted by kalfukuraThere aren't many American monarchies, but one was founded in 1860 by the Mapuche people living in the southern portion of what is today Chile and Argentina.

Since its founding, the Kingdom of Araucania and Patagonia has represented the desire of the Mapuche people for their natural sovereignty and right of self-determination.

On March 24, 2018, the Regency Council of the Kingdom -- composed of Councilors from the Council of the Kingdom and the Council of State -- met in Paris, France, at the Cercle National des Armees, to elect a new Prince, as the previous Prince, Antoine IV, had died unexpectedly on December 16, 2017.

The Regency Council, in conformity with the constitution of the kingdom, elected Frederic Luz as the new Head of the Royal House. He will use the title Prince Frederic I of Araucania.

He was born in 1964, is married, and has two children. He is a heraldist by profession and prior to his election as Prince, served his predecessor as Judge of Arms for the Royal House.

Here is a picture of the new Prince on the evening of his inauguration. In this photo, from left to right, Mrs. Annie Luz, wife of the Prince; Prince Frederic I of Araucania, Miss Mia Morrison, and Daniel Morrison.

If you're interested in the constitutional issues, you can read the documents at http://www.araucanie.org the website maintained by the Royal House.

The founder, Orelie-Antoine, was elected king by a parliament of Mapuche chiefs, entirely in keeping with Mapuche tradition.

Once he was king, he established a constitution, with a variety of constitutional bodies among whom the powers of the sovereign were distributed.

As Orelie-Antoine's life was drawing to a close, he realized no one in his family wanted the burden of the crown, and so he named Achille Laviarde his successor, thus establishing the principle that the crown 1) could pass by heredity, or 2) that the ruling sovereign could name his successor.

That dual principle held through the next five sovereigns, for which there were two nominations and three natural descents.

Prince Philippe, the sixth sovereign, amended the constitution to allow for a third possibility -- election by a Regency Council. Thus, as of January 1, 2014, it was possible for the Araucanian crown to 1) pass by hereditary descent, 2) nomination by the reigning sovereign, or 3) election by the Regency Council. In the transfer from Prince Philippe to Prince Antoine IV, it was the third option that was used.

Now, during the reign of Prince Antoine IV, he again modified the constitution, this time making the position purely elective, with the determination being made by the Regency Council. That's what happened on March 24, 2018 in Paris. The Regency Council consists of the Council of the Kingdom and the Council of the State, with a total of 15 councilors at present. Of those 15 councilors, four are Mapuche and one is married to a Mapuche.

I maintain the website of the North American Araucanian Royalist Society at http://www.steelcrown.org -- we have been around since 1995 and mostly concerned with the history of the kingdom.We publish a periodic journal called The Steel Crown.__________________http://www.steelcrown.org

Insert Photos

Web address (URL)

Image URL

If your URL is correct, you'll see an image preview here. Large images may take a few minutes to appear.
Remember: Using others' images on the web without their permission may be bad manners, or worse, copyright infringement.